Accident Summary
A firefighting aircraft crashed and was destroyed by fire and impact approximately 8 miles east-southeast of Ashcroft, British Columbia. The aircraft was engaged in a firefighting flight and carried three occupants: the pilot-in-command, a second pilot, and a mechanic passenger. All three were killed.
Sequence of Events
The pilot was conducting an initial fire bombing run when the 'Bird Dog' aircraft, which coordinates aerial firefighting operations, informed the pilot that the approach was off target. In response, the pilot initiated a climbing left turn toward rising terrain. After completing approximately 220 degrees of the turn, the aircraft stalled. It then rolled sharply to the left, and the nose dropped steeply. The aircraft subsequently struck the ground with a left wing low and nose-down attitude.
Probable Cause
Prior to impact, the pilot-in-command informed the 'Bird Dog' aircraft that he was in difficulty but failed to heed advice to release his cargo of fire retardant. The airplane lost speed in a low left climbing turn, apparently stalled, and struck the ground with left wing low and nose down.